Airlift

Rating: 3.5/5

The evacuation of Indians in Kuwait to India when the former is attacked by Iraq forms the base of this well intentioned and well executed movie. Starring Akshay Kumar as Ranjit Katiyal and Nimrat Kaur (Amrita) as his wife in the lead roles, the film stays true to its plot and delivers the adventure strongly to the audience.

Ranjit is a business tycoon in Kuwait and has a strong presence in the political arena. Someone who is proud to be a Kuwaiti, he briefly displays himself as someone completely disinterested of his origin, India. Suddenly faced with a disastrous situation where Kuwait is under siege and Kuwaitis were shamelessly killed at any place by Iraqi soldiers aging from 15-16 years, his true identity of being an Indian becomes his only protection. A change of character and humanity arises and he plans to help all the Indians stuck in Kuwait to safety and negotiates with officials of several countries to rescue them from the war zone. Suffering, anguish, short-lived happiness and efforts of unsung heroes follow as the movie depicts the journey of those Indians and the entire evacuation which subsequently happens.

Airlift works mainly because it has its heart in the right place. There are several very realistic points projected which hits its mark perfectly- how policies can't be worked out in few hours or how refugees can't be brought into a country without knowing accurately who they actually are. But the truly defining moment which received humungous applause is definitely when the tricolour is hoisted at the end. The last 10 minutes definitely leaves a lump in the throat.

The movie definitely belongs to Akshay Kumar and his character Ranjit. Akshay proves no one other than him could have played the character with such power. Yet, the entire supporting cast leaves their etch at the end. Nimrat Kaur's Amrita initially displays selfish behaviour which comes across very honest but later strongly stands by her husband and admires his work. It's great to see Nimrat back on screen after Lunchbox and she delivers her scenes very elegantly. Kumud Mishra as the Ministry of External Affair's joint secretary impresses well by his depiction of a helpless but a hopeful officer who single-handedly takes the initiative to lead the rest of the senior officers into action. Inaamulhaq as the Iraqi major, Purab Kohli as Ibrahim and Prakash Belwadi as George adds loads of interest and emotion into the film.

Music is good and situational. The graphics for the bomb blasts and other attacks looks very video-gamish. Writing is steady. Dialogues are impactful.

Airlift is a must watch film. It's a truly inspiring movie and does complete justice to the actual incident.